My testimonial:
I've been on the Paleo diet for about 8 years. At 16 the dermatologist put me on Accutane for severe acne, and I suffered a lot of side effects from the drug. Eventually my acne came back fully, within about a year.
I went on the Paleo diet around 17 and since then my acne has been gone, unless I cheat on the diet. For example, I went to a teachers training camp where I had to eat the food provided to me in cafeterias. Even though I was pretty choosy, I still ended up getting a lot of acne (6+ per day).
I get zero new spots and my skin is great when I'm on the diet perfectly.
If you suffer from acne or know someone who does, I recommend you give it a try. The causal mechanisms are explained in the book The Dietary Cure for Acne by Dr Loren Cordain PhD. It will take 30 days for the skin cells formed today, right now, to reach the surface layer, so you should not expect changes in one day.
ERE + Paleo
I think the main power behind the paleo diet is the switch in macronutrient composition as well as the move to mostly whole foods with a corresponding rise in more satiating fiber-rich and low-calorie-density foods. I would like to see a comparison between macro- and micronutrient-matched diets, one paleo, the other involving neolithic foods.
Until that, I'll use my hack version of a relatively high-protein diet involving mostly cheap whole foods: mostly Quark, Yoghurt, milk,, eggs, pulses and protein powder for protein, potatoes, bread and oatmeal for carbs, adding whatever is on sale in the veggies/fruits department.
I like meat a lot, so I get some whenever it's on sale and have it a few times during the week.
Since I eat out for lunch with my colleagues, I need to stick to mostly protein-foods for dinner to hit the macros, but so far it works.
While I believe the paleo-diet to be superior to the standard high-carb/fat/sugar diet (having read Taubes, Cordain, Eades, etc.), I find the justification for the complete elimination of certain foods rather questionable, given that some of these foods are staples of healthy populations like France (white bread, wine and cheese) and Japan (white rice, legumes).
My thinking is that as long as you get adequate micronutrients from other places, you can still have low-nutrient high-calorie foods as staples in your diet.
Sure, if you have an intolerance to gluten or milk protein, avoiding it will help you, but it doesn't follow that this will help people who have no problem with these foods.
So this is my ERE-friendly/-ier adaptation of paleo. Maybe it helps someone.
Until that, I'll use my hack version of a relatively high-protein diet involving mostly cheap whole foods: mostly Quark, Yoghurt, milk,, eggs, pulses and protein powder for protein, potatoes, bread and oatmeal for carbs, adding whatever is on sale in the veggies/fruits department.
I like meat a lot, so I get some whenever it's on sale and have it a few times during the week.
Since I eat out for lunch with my colleagues, I need to stick to mostly protein-foods for dinner to hit the macros, but so far it works.
While I believe the paleo-diet to be superior to the standard high-carb/fat/sugar diet (having read Taubes, Cordain, Eades, etc.), I find the justification for the complete elimination of certain foods rather questionable, given that some of these foods are staples of healthy populations like France (white bread, wine and cheese) and Japan (white rice, legumes).
My thinking is that as long as you get adequate micronutrients from other places, you can still have low-nutrient high-calorie foods as staples in your diet.
Sure, if you have an intolerance to gluten or milk protein, avoiding it will help you, but it doesn't follow that this will help people who have no problem with these foods.
So this is my ERE-friendly/-ier adaptation of paleo. Maybe it helps someone.
I've been experimenting with different diets for a few years (for general health and building strength and muscle) and my current Paleo-ish diet seems to work well for my goals without breaking the bank. In a nutshell I eat whatever meat I can get cheaply (ground beef, pork chops/shoulder, whole chicken, etc.), eggs, lots of veg (greens in particular), rice and potatoes, butter and olive oil, and cheese and milk in moderation. I avoid grains other than rice (health concerns aside, they give me indigestion) and seed oils, and don't eat too much sugar, but I don't stress out over eating "bad" food from time to time.
I tried the low-carb thing for a while but didn't get much benefit apart from that of grain elimination; in fact adding back in carbs helps my gym performance and saves some money because they're much cheaper than meat, and makes meals more tasty and varied - just meat and veg gets old quickly.
As for meals I just go for things that are simple to cook in bulk: chilli, curry, risotto, meat and potatoes, etc..
This costs me around £100 per month; considering the difference between UK and US prices, replacing the pound sign with the dollar sign is probably realistic. I eat more than the average person due to my size, metabolism, and training, so it should be doable for less for most people.
I tried the low-carb thing for a while but didn't get much benefit apart from that of grain elimination; in fact adding back in carbs helps my gym performance and saves some money because they're much cheaper than meat, and makes meals more tasty and varied - just meat and veg gets old quickly.
As for meals I just go for things that are simple to cook in bulk: chilli, curry, risotto, meat and potatoes, etc..
This costs me around £100 per month; considering the difference between UK and US prices, replacing the pound sign with the dollar sign is probably realistic. I eat more than the average person due to my size, metabolism, and training, so it should be doable for less for most people.
Any hard gainers ever manage to gain weight on a paleo diet?... As a paleo, one meal a day guy, gaining weight seems incredibly difficult.
I'm thinking I'm going to add 7 dozen eggs, 2 gallons of milk (I know, I know... but at least it's grass fed/raw), and a 14 servings of 20g coconut oil fat and 30g pea protein a week. On top of my regular big meal... Any other tips?
I'm thinking I'm going to add 7 dozen eggs, 2 gallons of milk (I know, I know... but at least it's grass fed/raw), and a 14 servings of 20g coconut oil fat and 30g pea protein a week. On top of my regular big meal... Any other tips?
-
jennypenny
- Posts: 6910
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
-
jeremymday
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:06 am
- Contact:
@ JohnnyH - You gotta eat more than one meal a day!
I am currently on a muscle mass building program and have gained 10 pounds thus far (I took a baseline bodyfat test when I started and will see what my body composition looks like in another month).
I eat 3 BIG square meals a day plus snacks plus protein shakes. The biggest meal I could ever shove down was just barely over 1000 calories. I figure some bigger guys can pull off maybe 1500 - 2000 or so calories in one sitting.
Depending on your current height and weight you probably need at least 2500 to 3000 calories to gain weight and there is no way possible you can eat that in one sitting. If you happen to pull it off I'd like you to video tape it and put it on YouTube!
7 dozen eggs = 6216 (assuming large eggs at 74 calories per egg)
2 gallons of milk = 4800 calories (assuming its whole milk.)
14 servings of 20g coconut oil fat = 2520 (9 calories per gram of fat)
30g pea protein = maybe 120 calories? (4 calories per gram of protein)
Total = 13,656 extra calories per week or 1950 calories per day
Other factors:
1. Height and current weight
2. Amount of exercise per week
3. Number of calories in single meal per day
If you are a bigger guy that exercises a lot and your single meal per day isn't over 1,000 calories you might still struggle to add weight even with all the extra stuff you are adding.
AND if you don't continue eating this way you will probably lose most or all of the weight after you stop. Sure, some of the weight gain can be solidified if you are lifting weights to gain muscle mass as well, but it will disappear over the years if you stay on a low calorie diet.
Cheers,
Jeremy
I am currently on a muscle mass building program and have gained 10 pounds thus far (I took a baseline bodyfat test when I started and will see what my body composition looks like in another month).
I eat 3 BIG square meals a day plus snacks plus protein shakes. The biggest meal I could ever shove down was just barely over 1000 calories. I figure some bigger guys can pull off maybe 1500 - 2000 or so calories in one sitting.
Depending on your current height and weight you probably need at least 2500 to 3000 calories to gain weight and there is no way possible you can eat that in one sitting. If you happen to pull it off I'd like you to video tape it and put it on YouTube!
7 dozen eggs = 6216 (assuming large eggs at 74 calories per egg)
2 gallons of milk = 4800 calories (assuming its whole milk.)
14 servings of 20g coconut oil fat = 2520 (9 calories per gram of fat)
30g pea protein = maybe 120 calories? (4 calories per gram of protein)
Total = 13,656 extra calories per week or 1950 calories per day
Other factors:
1. Height and current weight
2. Amount of exercise per week
3. Number of calories in single meal per day
If you are a bigger guy that exercises a lot and your single meal per day isn't over 1,000 calories you might still struggle to add weight even with all the extra stuff you are adding.
AND if you don't continue eating this way you will probably lose most or all of the weight after you stop. Sure, some of the weight gain can be solidified if you are lifting weights to gain muscle mass as well, but it will disappear over the years if you stay on a low calorie diet.
Cheers,
Jeremy
@JohnnyH: If you are a hardgainer, you don't eat enough. You don't need to restrict yourself to 1 meal a day. That's a strategy for fat guys and heavy eaters. The same goes for paleo, actually - depending on which denomination of it you follow. I think it's counterproductive for people who already don't eat enough and want to gain weight.
As Jeremy said, to gain weight, you need to eat above maintenance calories. I'd recommend you add another meal every day and see where that takes you.
Another common strategy is adding a gallon of milk a day. If you struggle to get enough calories into you, this often helps.
As Jeremy said, to gain weight, you need to eat above maintenance calories. I'd recommend you add another meal every day and see where that takes you.
Another common strategy is adding a gallon of milk a day. If you struggle to get enough calories into you, this often helps.